[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 910 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 910

  Supporting the ideals and goals of the ``International Day for the 
                Elimination of Violence against Women''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 28, 2016

  Mr. Honda (for himself, Ms. Norton, Mr. Grijalva, Mrs. Bustos, Mr. 
Swalwell of California, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Wilson of Florida, 
 Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Lowenthal, Ms. Schakowsky, 
  Ms. Lofgren, Ms. Moore, Ms. Titus, and Ms. Judy Chu of California) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Supporting the ideals and goals of the ``International Day for the 
                Elimination of Violence against Women''.

Whereas November 25, 2016, is recognized as the ``International Day for the 
        Elimination of Violence against Women'';
Whereas violence against women and girls, particularly intimate partner violence 
        and sexual violence, are major public health issues and violations of 
        human rights;
Whereas recent global prevalence figures indicate that 35 percent of women 
        worldwide have experienced either intimate partner violence or non-
        partner sexual violence in their lifetime;
Whereas humanitarian response in emergencies has shown that gender-based 
        violence (GBV), particularly sexual violence, increases in the immediate 
        aftermath of an emergency, in addition to sexual exploitation and abuse, 
        human trafficking, forced prostitution, and child, early, and forced 
        marriage, and must therefore be prioritized at the onset of the 
        response;
Whereas on average, 1 in 3 women who have been in a relationship report they 
        have experienced some form of physical, sexual, or other form of 
        violence by their intimate partner;
Whereas 120,000,000 girls worldwide have experienced sexual assault at some 
        point in their lives;
Whereas an estimated 15,000,000 girls are married before the age of 18 every 
        year and 700,000,000 women alive today were married as children;
Whereas child marriage exposes girls to a high risk of sexual, physical, and 
        psychological violence, most often from their partners or their 
        partners' families;
Whereas women and girls are disproportionately impacted by natural disasters and 
        displacement settings exacerbate preexisting inequalities, render women 
        and girls even more vulnerable, and create greater barriers in their 
        ability to benefit from relief, recovery, and long-term reconstruction 
        and development efforts;
Whereas, as many as 2,000 women and girls have been kidnapped by armed men since 
        the start of 2014, where they were often stripped naked so as not to 
        escape, forced into marriage, and repeatedly raped;
Whereas reports on conflict-related sexual violence highlight the use of sexual 
        violence as integrally linked with the strategic objectives, ideology, 
        and funding of extremist groups, orchestrated in order to generate 
        revenue as well as to recruit, reward, and retain fighters;
Whereas violence against women and girls can result in physical, mental, sexual, 
        reproductive, and other health issues, and may increase vulnerability to 
        HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases;
Whereas more than 133,000,000 girls and women have experienced some form of 
        female genital mutilation and are at risk for infection (including HIV), 
        infertility, complications during pregnancy, and death;
Whereas more often than not, cases of violence against women and girls goes 
        unreported due to factors such as shame, stigma, and poor structures to 
        support survivors;
Whereas worldwide, as many as 38 percent of all murders of women are committed 
        by an intimate partner;
Whereas women in urban areas are twice as likely as men to experience violence, 
        particularly in developing countries;
Whereas between 40 to 50 percent of women in the workplace experience unwanted 
        sexual advances, physical contact or other forms of sexual harassment;
Whereas gender-based violence in the workplace disproportionately and negatively 
        affects women and their economic independence, equality, and 
        empowerment;
Whereas in the United States, 83 percent of girls in grades 8 through 11 (aged 
        12-16) have experienced some form of sexual harassment in public school;
Whereas in the United States, an estimated 9,400,000 women had married at age 16 
        or younger and nearly 1,700,000 had married at age 15 or younger;
Whereas in the United States, almost 12 percent of new HIV infections among 
        women more than 20 years old during the previous year were attributed to 
        intimate partner violence;
Whereas in the United States, 1 in 5 women have experienced rape or attempted 
        rape in their lifetime, mostly by a current or former partner;
Whereas women living in households with lower annual household incomes 
        experience intimate partner violence at significantly higher rates than 
        women in households with higher annual household incomes;
Whereas women with disabilities are more likely to experience intimate partner 
        violence and sexual violence than women who are able-bodied;
Whereas transgender women are more likely to experience physical violence and 
        discrimination within intimate partner violence, and more likely to 
        experience intimate partner violence in public spaces;
Whereas 44 percent of lesbian women and 61 percent of bisexual women experience 
        rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their 
        lifetime;
Whereas in the United States alone, the costs of intimate partner violence 
        exceed $5,800,000,000 each year, more than two-thirds of which are 
        health care costs; and
Whereas the people of the United States should be encouraged to support the 
        goals and participate in the ``International Day for the Elimination of 
        Violence against Women'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the ideals and goals of the ``International 
        Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women'';
            (2) honors those working domestically and internationally 
        to eliminate violence against women and girls; and
            (3) encourages the President to--
                    (A) address the needs of women and girls 
                experiencing violence worldwide through funding for 
                inclusive, integrated, participatory survivor-led 
                programs;
                    (B) prioritize protections for women and children 
                in fragile and conflict zones and in humanitarian 
                response;
                    (C) address increased rates of violence against 
                marginalized women due to race, ethnicity, gender and 
                sexual identity, and socioeconomic status;
                    (D) increase women's and girls' opportunities 
                worldwide including opportunities for quality education 
                and economic participation;
                    (E) integrate the priorities and solutions of women 
                and girls living in poverty in the prevention and 
                response to sexual violence; and
                    (F) issue a proclamation to the people of the 
                United States to observe the ``International Day for 
                the Elimination of Violence against Women''.
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